Kanye West is not so unusual. He is not the first middle class kid to become a famous rapper. Some of the most popular hip hop artists come from very solid middle and working class families. Think Ice Cube, whose family forced him to go to college before he could go and hang out with NWA, think Will Smith, whose father was a judge in Philly, think LL Cool J-who used to brag that he got "2 bikes" every Christmas. Nowadays in Hip Hop, everyone claims a previous life of poverty, but that ain't always the truth.
I like Kanye because he is not apologizing for who he is. In that way he is a lot like 'Pac. Pac was another man who was very honest about his struggles with what he knew what he should do, and what his desires and passions told him to do.
Kanye is so incredible because he is telling the truth of his life, what he feels. He said "George Bush doesn't care about Black people" but he isn't the only person thinking that. We have all been thinking that since the very beginning. I am not fooled by Condi or Colin or Alberto or anyone else in his cabinet. I have only heard them talk about economic justice for people of color and poor people since the Hurricane blew the covers off the bed.
But anyway back to Kanye
Kanyes' beats are so nasty. He has a great musical ear. I hear Stevie Wonder and Donnie Hathaway influences a lot in his music. He makes me go back to the old music and listen to it a lot. His beats slap and they have a groove unlike anything else being made right now. He honestly is not the best rapper, but he's okay and better than a lot of other so called MCs out there. His sincerity and honesty, plus the fact that many of us can identify with the way he feels. He talks really honestly about his feelings about women and the way the world is. What young man isn't thinking about the world and his future in it? Of course we want the Shiny Things, but at what cost? Of course we want to be faithful to our women, but damn these other women look good. Kanye is showing that it is okay to be a complex human being.
The Funny thing
is that Kanye was well on the way to taking his place among the black bourgeousie of America. He was in college, his mom is a professor, all he had to do was graduate and find a job. He could have done his music thing on the side, but he chose to leave school and become a producer/rapper. His personal aspiration was the same as the countless thousands of kids for who college is/was a far off hope. He shares a lot with the common, everyday black guy. He likes women, cars and being looked at and listened to.
Anyway, I'm listening to a Democracy Now! broadcast with Suheir Hammad. Damn. Some people are writers but they are not good performers (me), others can perform but can't seem to write for shit. Suheir is in a third category. She's not a performer, but she is an excellent reciter and poet/writer. She caresses each word, a pleasure to listen to.
done for now
Peace world.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Fire Burn, Water Run
A retrospective on the events of the past few weeks.
Fire Burn, Fire Burn
Fire Burn
The Burning Bush
The Bush is on Fire
The whole House is on Fire
And the people in New Orleans need water
But the government let the motherfucker burn anyway
The wizards' curtain is falling down.
Finally, all the rest of the clowns are falling out of the trickmobile.
Surely, someone will talk.
Someone has to leak the story.
Someone has to leak the government. Someone leaked Enron, someone leaked Chevron, Someone leaked Vietnam (and died a lot).
The government has a way of making outspoken people gone, quiet, or at best irrelevant and compromised.
America only promises one thing-you can die here. America has a lot of shit that will kill your ass, will attempt to hijack and kidnap you.
Americas greatest crime and best talent is that if you buy the lie (American Dream)
America will separate you from yourself. You will be far from your origin-If you buy the lie. If you do not, then you will not be happy here in America.
The American Dream is just that-a fantasy held to be true because of widespread mass delusion that this is a fair and just society. So far, very few people have lived the American Dream, but I know a lot who share the American Nightmare experience.
I am poor and suffering in America. My children are ill, my elders are dying, and my people, people who look and and live just like I do, are in dying on international television. My children are killing one another in the streets. Everywhere I look, there is pain and no one cares. Are we not also Americans? Do we not deserve the love and compassion of our fellow Americans? These compassionate conservatives have talked the talk, now it is time to walk the walk. Poor people got completely washed out and no one seems to care. This shit is evil. Once again, America shows her ass to her most vulnerable and least listened to, least cared about citizens.
“Black America suffers today on NPR” we’re taking your calls.
“Katrina kicks poor niggas in the ass today on KPFA”
“Niggas die as America looks on; get it first here on CNN”
That’s the news
That’s entertainment. What we like to see, this is not reality TV, this is real life.
White America likes to see a nigga suffer. The CNN commentator says-“They did not evacuate, It is their own fault…” What?!
They are calling them "refugees"
“I didn’t know? We could not have known? Noone knew? All llies. They knew. I knew, they all knew. ABC GE NBC KBHQ ABCDEF-Stuck on F for “we fucked up, fuck you. Fuck yeah” Devil ass Devil ….
Of course the niggas is still acting up. How come you remove everything I have, everything, remove all I have because I am in the way of the wave of the destruction-I am worthless? I-we-these people are the sons and daughters of the slaves
They are my costars in this, the Amerikan nightmare. For us, this sweet life is incredibly sour.
So yes, fire burn, flood run wild
New Orleans is Flooded and Burning
Baghdad was burning and looted
LA was looted and burned
Detroit looted and burned
Watts burned and looted
New York bombed and burned some
It all fell down
London burned
Were they really so surprised? If you strip away everything, every thing is washed away, and there is no hope, what am I supposed to do? 500 cops in New Orleans left the job. 2 killed themselves. Can you see that even when the lawmakers lose hope, what is the ordinary citizen to think?
Homeland Security takes over FEMA. Wanna know why? Because in times of crisis, poor motherfuckers do not act like they are supposed to. There will be unrest from the natives. They become an internal threat.
What they need is a department of “Nigga Act Right” Chief Head Nigga in Charge of the NAR-Colin Powell.
I know looking at all this water I am not the only one thinking of Noah. I would bet that when it is all rebuilt, that New Orleans will be either a really fly, model city with super fly ass stuff or the expense required to recreate the city for these people will constantly be questioned. Cause you know what? Niggas is going back to the NO. They are going to get fat ass FEMA checks-there are going to be numerous fraud allegations, incriminations, indictments. “She bought a Fendi bag with her FEMA card….”
How can you convict a person for doing what they think they should to save their life? How can you put a dollar value on someones’ life? How much for the drowned crack baby? For the 95 year old grandmother who died on her rooftop? For the little girl in the wheelchair who was unable to fight the rising water?
Niggas in Need(NiN) + DISASTER-(the law) * (-hope)=mass motherfucking chaos (squared) /FAITH
A sister on the television called it genocide and at first I disagreed but now I change my mind. This shit is so diabolical.
Fire Burn, Fire Burn
Fire Burn
The Burning Bush
The Bush is on Fire
The whole House is on Fire
And the people in New Orleans need water
But the government let the motherfucker burn anyway
The wizards' curtain is falling down.
Finally, all the rest of the clowns are falling out of the trickmobile.
Surely, someone will talk.
Someone has to leak the story.
Someone has to leak the government. Someone leaked Enron, someone leaked Chevron, Someone leaked Vietnam (and died a lot).
The government has a way of making outspoken people gone, quiet, or at best irrelevant and compromised.
America only promises one thing-you can die here. America has a lot of shit that will kill your ass, will attempt to hijack and kidnap you.
Americas greatest crime and best talent is that if you buy the lie (American Dream)
America will separate you from yourself. You will be far from your origin-If you buy the lie. If you do not, then you will not be happy here in America.
The American Dream is just that-a fantasy held to be true because of widespread mass delusion that this is a fair and just society. So far, very few people have lived the American Dream, but I know a lot who share the American Nightmare experience.
I am poor and suffering in America. My children are ill, my elders are dying, and my people, people who look and and live just like I do, are in dying on international television. My children are killing one another in the streets. Everywhere I look, there is pain and no one cares. Are we not also Americans? Do we not deserve the love and compassion of our fellow Americans? These compassionate conservatives have talked the talk, now it is time to walk the walk. Poor people got completely washed out and no one seems to care. This shit is evil. Once again, America shows her ass to her most vulnerable and least listened to, least cared about citizens.
“Black America suffers today on NPR” we’re taking your calls.
“Katrina kicks poor niggas in the ass today on KPFA”
“Niggas die as America looks on; get it first here on CNN”
That’s the news
That’s entertainment. What we like to see, this is not reality TV, this is real life.
White America likes to see a nigga suffer. The CNN commentator says-“They did not evacuate, It is their own fault…” What?!
They are calling them "refugees"
“I didn’t know? We could not have known? Noone knew? All llies. They knew. I knew, they all knew. ABC GE NBC KBHQ ABCDEF-Stuck on F for “we fucked up, fuck you. Fuck yeah” Devil ass Devil ….
Of course the niggas is still acting up. How come you remove everything I have, everything, remove all I have because I am in the way of the wave of the destruction-I am worthless? I-we-these people are the sons and daughters of the slaves
They are my costars in this, the Amerikan nightmare. For us, this sweet life is incredibly sour.
So yes, fire burn, flood run wild
New Orleans is Flooded and Burning
Baghdad was burning and looted
LA was looted and burned
Detroit looted and burned
Watts burned and looted
New York bombed and burned some
It all fell down
London burned
Were they really so surprised? If you strip away everything, every thing is washed away, and there is no hope, what am I supposed to do? 500 cops in New Orleans left the job. 2 killed themselves. Can you see that even when the lawmakers lose hope, what is the ordinary citizen to think?
Homeland Security takes over FEMA. Wanna know why? Because in times of crisis, poor motherfuckers do not act like they are supposed to. There will be unrest from the natives. They become an internal threat.
What they need is a department of “Nigga Act Right” Chief Head Nigga in Charge of the NAR-Colin Powell.
I know looking at all this water I am not the only one thinking of Noah. I would bet that when it is all rebuilt, that New Orleans will be either a really fly, model city with super fly ass stuff or the expense required to recreate the city for these people will constantly be questioned. Cause you know what? Niggas is going back to the NO. They are going to get fat ass FEMA checks-there are going to be numerous fraud allegations, incriminations, indictments. “She bought a Fendi bag with her FEMA card….”
How can you convict a person for doing what they think they should to save their life? How can you put a dollar value on someones’ life? How much for the drowned crack baby? For the 95 year old grandmother who died on her rooftop? For the little girl in the wheelchair who was unable to fight the rising water?
Niggas in Need(NiN) + DISASTER-(the law) * (-hope)=mass motherfucking chaos (squared) /FAITH
A sister on the television called it genocide and at first I disagreed but now I change my mind. This shit is so diabolical.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Update
I haven't seen Laila for more than two weeks. I probably could have seen her on Sunday, for the day, but it just didn't work out. I have to take Laila shopping, it's getting cold out here. I gotta send Aaron some stuff too.
new poems
Faith
1.
He flung his black body
out into space
hoping that someone
who had a vested interest in his survival
would catch him
2.
She picked up the phone, crying
hoping that hope and help
would answer.
And not for the first or last time
She told them
How she was afraid
and how he had hit her
And not for the first or last time
They begged her to leave
before she got kilt.
Black Superman
S is for Superman
Black Superman like
my daddy who say
"the Poor cannot afford to be sick"
and
"Boy if you had a brain you'd be dangerous"
But I am already dangerous
I am a Black Superman too.
Sing
Sing your soul angel songs
to the midnite Lords of sky and earth
Sea and Space
Their battle dance
sends shivers down my spine
here
I see only the costs of bloodshed and war
Where before I saw peace and prosperity
there have been many battles here
new poems
Faith
1.
He flung his black body
out into space
hoping that someone
who had a vested interest in his survival
would catch him
2.
She picked up the phone, crying
hoping that hope and help
would answer.
And not for the first or last time
She told them
How she was afraid
and how he had hit her
And not for the first or last time
They begged her to leave
before she got kilt.
Black Superman
S is for Superman
Black Superman like
my daddy who say
"the Poor cannot afford to be sick"
and
"Boy if you had a brain you'd be dangerous"
But I am already dangerous
I am a Black Superman too.
Sing
Sing your soul angel songs
to the midnite Lords of sky and earth
Sea and Space
Their battle dance
sends shivers down my spine
here
I see only the costs of bloodshed and war
Where before I saw peace and prosperity
there have been many battles here
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Writing my first book
I don't know if I wrote about it here before, but I am writing my first book. It's called 144. Short for 144 Poems and Essays for God, Love, Peace, Justice and Hip Hop. It's not even fair to say that I am writing a new book, I am really just editing it, pulling together stuff that I have written over the last 20 plus years.
My concept is to put together 144 of my favorite pieces with artwork from artists and photographers. I have some work from Tempt, Twist and some other local heroes. I have some photos that I've taken, alot of cool stuff to put in the book. I think it will be successful.
Some of the poems that are on this blog will be in the book: My enemy, She thug, I do not Love America. All of those will be included.
Peace to the Peaceful
-M
My concept is to put together 144 of my favorite pieces with artwork from artists and photographers. I have some work from Tempt, Twist and some other local heroes. I have some photos that I've taken, alot of cool stuff to put in the book. I think it will be successful.
Some of the poems that are on this blog will be in the book: My enemy, She thug, I do not Love America. All of those will be included.
Peace to the Peaceful
-M
Monday, September 12, 2005
my daughter one year
Today is my daughter Lailas' one year birthday. This is the time when I reflect on how much life has changed for me in the past year. Laila, like Katrina pulled the covers off of a lot of stuff. She has made me look at my self as a man. I am a much better person than I ever have been. I have more energy, I am more focused and more honest. Her presence has made me really want to be a better person. It is taking a lot of effort, because I have been such an irresponsible asshole for so long, I have all these bad habits to break, but honestly I feel much better about who I am.
Anyway, Laila is a beautiful child. She recently began walking and she says a few words "Baba", "Dada", "Laila" and of course she has her own baby language. She talks to me a lot, she lets me know whenever she needs something. She has a great face, her expressions are not like anyone elses. I am really excited to hear her start talking using actual language that I can understand. Half of her family speaks Spanish, so I hope that she will retain Spanish a she gets older.
I want her to be a really strong, independent and cultured child. She is already really independent. She will climb around and really work to get what she wants. If she wants to get down from her bed, she will crawl over and hang down until she drops and then go do whatever it is that she feels like she needs to do. It's a great thing to watch this child develop. The hardest thing is not being in the same household with my children.
I know in this modern day, single parenthood is normal. We split custody, pay child support and generally move through life as part time parents. But we pt parents are missing out on a lot. We miss out on learning from our coparents. We miss out on the side that our child shows around the other parent. We miss out on countless small moments of learning and development with our children. I hate that-missing those small moments.
The best I can do is to keep moving forward, trying to be a good guy and maintaining consistent contact with my daughter and her mom.
I have both of my kids part time and it is not a situation that I advise. We are not supposed to visit our children until they leave our homes. We are supposed to go to sleep and wake up to our kids every day.
Next weekend, we are going to do some really fun stuff. I am totally in love with my baby girl.
Anyway, Laila is a beautiful child. She recently began walking and she says a few words "Baba", "Dada", "Laila" and of course she has her own baby language. She talks to me a lot, she lets me know whenever she needs something. She has a great face, her expressions are not like anyone elses. I am really excited to hear her start talking using actual language that I can understand. Half of her family speaks Spanish, so I hope that she will retain Spanish a she gets older.
I want her to be a really strong, independent and cultured child. She is already really independent. She will climb around and really work to get what she wants. If she wants to get down from her bed, she will crawl over and hang down until she drops and then go do whatever it is that she feels like she needs to do. It's a great thing to watch this child develop. The hardest thing is not being in the same household with my children.
I know in this modern day, single parenthood is normal. We split custody, pay child support and generally move through life as part time parents. But we pt parents are missing out on a lot. We miss out on learning from our coparents. We miss out on the side that our child shows around the other parent. We miss out on countless small moments of learning and development with our children. I hate that-missing those small moments.
The best I can do is to keep moving forward, trying to be a good guy and maintaining consistent contact with my daughter and her mom.
I have both of my kids part time and it is not a situation that I advise. We are not supposed to visit our children until they leave our homes. We are supposed to go to sleep and wake up to our kids every day.
Next weekend, we are going to do some really fun stuff. I am totally in love with my baby girl.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Saul Williams
Yesterday, I went to the Power to the Peaceful festival in San Francisco. I hadn't been in SF for over a month and then to go when there were all those people around me high and drinking and stinking like BO and patchouli oil.....well it wasn't the ideal experience. But whatever I was walking around people watching most of the time anyway.
My buddy had backstage passes so that's where I was when I met Saul.
What a great experience. I shared some work with him and the other brothers that were there and it was only after Saul and this brother Selassie went, that I realized how monotonal and unexciting I sound. I need to find someone to help me step it up. If I want to move to the next level as a performer.
As a writer, he really is one of my models right now. In any case, Ima send him some writing and hope that he sends me some input back.
I am really encouraged about my writing, I am finding a lot of good material to edit and Im writing some new stuff too.
Is anyone reading this? Let me know.
Peace to the Peaceful
My buddy had backstage passes so that's where I was when I met Saul.
What a great experience. I shared some work with him and the other brothers that were there and it was only after Saul and this brother Selassie went, that I realized how monotonal and unexciting I sound. I need to find someone to help me step it up. If I want to move to the next level as a performer.
As a writer, he really is one of my models right now. In any case, Ima send him some writing and hope that he sends me some input back.
I am really encouraged about my writing, I am finding a lot of good material to edit and Im writing some new stuff too.
Is anyone reading this? Let me know.
Peace to the Peaceful
Thursday, September 08, 2005
damn
I'm tired. I have come to the recent conclusion is that the best thing to do is to always walk in my own truth. I don't need to be anyone elses' Malcolm. I only need to be my own man, and it does not matter if anyone else likes me, agrees with me or thinks that I am okay. I am doing what I need to do and that's all I need to do.
Peace to the Hurricane victims.
-M
Peace to the Hurricane victims.
-M
Friday, September 02, 2005
The Worst thing to be in America is poor
Ultimately it's about money here in the United States. It's not about where you live or who you vote for, it's just about how much money you have. The wealthy people do not suffer in the ways that those of us who don't have money do. Look at New Orleans, the face of Hurricane Katrina is that of a young black woman suffering with her family. The wealthy citizens of New Orleans (no matter the race) got the hell out. God Bless them. But who was thinking about all of those people who could not afford to leave, who had no cars, who had no relatives to go and stay with? Who thought about them? No one did.
Maybe the Mayor, maybe the Governor, the Congresspeople, local officials. Maybe they actually didn't know it was going to be this bad. But no matter, it is really bad and our response as a naton has been extremely slow. The level of compassion is so low, I can't even say I am ashamed or dissapointed, but I hate to show the rest of the world that this is how pathetic America really is.
We can rush to bomb some people. We can hurry up to destroy, but when it comes to saving the lives of Americas' most needy, we are slow to react. Quick to destroy, slow to build.
It is also absolutely a matter of race. White America has been feeling like it is carrying the burden of Black Americans for the past 20-25 years. The problems of Black Americas poverty are trotted out on a daily basis for all of the world to see. Welfare, Joblessness, crime, broken families, poor social skills, delinquent youth, etc. All of the world thinks that these are only black peoples' problems here in the US, but these are the problems of any people that have been systematically denied advancement. Look at any people anywhere who are subject to poverty and you will see similar symptoms. Black folks are not the only ones who live low, look at the poor white people on daytime television. They didn't learn how to act stupid from black folks, that's just how they know how to be.
I am listening to the radio and most of the people that they have on speak with that thick, southern accent, their dialect is real deep south. They are not your typical NPR guests. I know much of America is cringing at hearing their "yaknowahimeans" and "yalls" on tv and radio. I know that they don't even want to know that people still talk like that. I know that they're thinking couldn' t they have found someone better? But you know what? The truth is painful. These are the people who couldn't get out. The ignored folks who live in the bottoms. It is these people who need the help most. Not just now in the times of Hurricane relief, but for the next few generations. These are the people who need support to get good educations, to make healthy life choices, to lead peaceful productive lives. These people are the direct descendants of the enslaved Africans, the ones who never had education, who didn't leave the South during the Great Migration in the forties. They are Americas dirty secret and all the Hurricane did is wash away the covering so that the world could see them.
Maybe the Mayor, maybe the Governor, the Congresspeople, local officials. Maybe they actually didn't know it was going to be this bad. But no matter, it is really bad and our response as a naton has been extremely slow. The level of compassion is so low, I can't even say I am ashamed or dissapointed, but I hate to show the rest of the world that this is how pathetic America really is.
We can rush to bomb some people. We can hurry up to destroy, but when it comes to saving the lives of Americas' most needy, we are slow to react. Quick to destroy, slow to build.
It is also absolutely a matter of race. White America has been feeling like it is carrying the burden of Black Americans for the past 20-25 years. The problems of Black Americas poverty are trotted out on a daily basis for all of the world to see. Welfare, Joblessness, crime, broken families, poor social skills, delinquent youth, etc. All of the world thinks that these are only black peoples' problems here in the US, but these are the problems of any people that have been systematically denied advancement. Look at any people anywhere who are subject to poverty and you will see similar symptoms. Black folks are not the only ones who live low, look at the poor white people on daytime television. They didn't learn how to act stupid from black folks, that's just how they know how to be.
I am listening to the radio and most of the people that they have on speak with that thick, southern accent, their dialect is real deep south. They are not your typical NPR guests. I know much of America is cringing at hearing their "yaknowahimeans" and "yalls" on tv and radio. I know that they don't even want to know that people still talk like that. I know that they're thinking couldn' t they have found someone better? But you know what? The truth is painful. These are the people who couldn't get out. The ignored folks who live in the bottoms. It is these people who need the help most. Not just now in the times of Hurricane relief, but for the next few generations. These are the people who need support to get good educations, to make healthy life choices, to lead peaceful productive lives. These people are the direct descendants of the enslaved Africans, the ones who never had education, who didn't leave the South during the Great Migration in the forties. They are Americas dirty secret and all the Hurricane did is wash away the covering so that the world could see them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)